Community service for men who conspired to swindle welfare payments

Two men have been ordered to do 200 hours of community service after conspiring to swindle weekly jobseekers’ allowance totalling €3,824.

One of the two who had been entitled to it was then living in Australia.

Judge Leo Malone noted that after several adjournments in both cases, the two had fully compensated the Department of Social Protection.

He told each of them they could do 200 hours of community service instead of six months in prison.

“If you do that, that will satisfy your debt to society,” the judge said.

During yesterday’s sentencing hearing, at Cork District Court the judge said: “This is defrauding public funds so it is quite a serious matter.”

Both accused were aged around 30.

Thomas Hayes with an address at an apartment at Carraigleigh, Midleton, Co Cork, previously pleaded guilty to five counts of gaining money by deception and one count of presenting a social welfare card in the name of another person at the social welfare office on Hanover St, Cork.

Joseph Cuddigan, solicitor, said Hayes was effectively signing on in Cork once a month for his expatriate friend in Australia.

Donal Daly, solicitor, said the man living in Australia at the time of these offences was James Stout of 139 Glenheights Park, Dublin Hill, Cork. He pleaded guilty to several sample counts of theft from the department arising out of his part in the scam.

Mr Daly said Stout had since returned from Australia to live in Cork and was not presently working.

The way the offences were carried out was that the money was being paid on a weekly basis into the Irish bank account of the man living in Australia.

Stout was required to sign on once a month and present with his social welfare card at Hanover St. Hayes admitted signing for the man and using his card.

Mr Cuddigan said: “Mr Hayes continued drawing the welfare while the other man [Stout] was out of the country. He should not have done it. It looked like easy money at the time but of course there is no such thing as easy money.

“He has been in a terrible state since, wondering what his fate would be. There was no master plan on his part. This criminal scheme dropped in his lap and he very foolishly said yes.”

Donal Daly, solicitor, said for Stout: “He remained in contact with gardaí about this matter when he was in Australia. He paid the money back in full. He regrets very much his involvement in this matter.”